Dry drowning and secondary drowning have recently been in the news with the death of a Texas toddler suffering from this condition. It is frightening for parents to read stories like this because they want to keep their children safe. We want to empower, educate, and bring awareness to this issue so you and your family can stay safe this summer. Here are some tips and reading material so you are prepared and aware!

"I've always been fortunate in that I've been able to put myself in my own zone and relax. It comes naturally. I'm lucky to be that way" - Michael Phelps

Kids, like the rest of us, all have their own learning style. Some of us learn through what we see. Some learn by recalling what we have heard. Others learn through imitating examples. Part of the job of a swim instructor is learning and identifying how children and students are processing information as they try to learn or hone a new skill. How can we facilitate that learning and give them the best swim instruction? How can we communicate with a student in their 'own zone' and help them naturally excel? The first step often comes in recognizing there is a definite way some students learn.

Swimming was something that young women, growing up in Denver, just didn't do. You should understand that in my Mom’s day there were no public swimming pools. To cool off on hot days, people went to the various lakes around the city. Typically, the boys and men would dive off docks into the cold lakes and would swim around, and the women and girls would sunbathe and wade in the shallow parts of the lake. Swimming lessons were nonexistent. The way that most people learned to swim was the “sink or swim” method: you were pushed into the water and either you made it back to the dock or someone would pull you out. So, like many people in that generation, my mom never learned to swim.

My name is Katie Walczak also known as “Miss Katie”. I was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky to a family who raised me in and around the water. I have now been living in the Denver area for almost 2 years to get closer to my love of the outdoors and to continue my passion of teaching children and adults to swim.